Marks The Culmination Of The Republic Day Celebrations
The Beating Retreat ceremony that marks the conclusion of the Republic Day celebrations, will take place today at Vijay Chowk in the national capital against the impressive backdrop of the Raisina Hills. The musical ritual that is steeped in tradition, will take place in the evening on January 29 and be graced by President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with cabinet colleagues and a host of luminaries.
Display Of Military Pageantry And Musical Prowress
The ceremony has always been an impressive display of military pageantry and musical prowess and this year will be no different. Performing the Beating Retreat are massed bands of the three wings of the Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy, and Air Force) along with pipes and drums bands from the Army, Air Force, and the Central Armed Police Forces. Together, and by themselves, the bands perform a grand show that has a variety of martial music, patriotic tunes, and popular melodies.
The bands of the Indian military and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will regale the audience with a repertoire of 31 captivating Indian tunes. Opening with the evocative ‘Shankhnaad’ tune, reminiscent of blowing a conch that traditionally signifies the start of an event as per Indian custom, the Beating Retreat promises a journey through the soul-stirring melodies of our nation.
The performance that begins with the massed band’s rendition of ‘Shankhnaad’, will be followed by enthralling tunes such as ‘Veer Bharat’, ‘Sangam Dur’, and ‘Arjuna’ by the Pipes and Drums band. The CAPF bands will add to the zeal with renditions like ‘Bharat Ke Jawan’ and ‘Vijay Bharat’.
The IAF band will elevate spirits with tunes like ‘Tiger Hill’ and ‘Rejoice in Raisina’, while the Indian Navy band will showcase compositions including ‘INS Vikrant’ and ‘Mission Chandrayaan’. The Indian Army band will pay homage to bravery and valour with renditions like ‘Faulad Ka Jigar’ and ‘Kargil 1999’.
The massed bands will bring the curtain down on this year’s event in the evening with iconic melodies like ‘Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja‘ and ‘Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon‘, leading to the grand finale with the timeless anthem of unity, ‘Saare Jahan se Acha‘.
Bengali